


New Beginnings

by LivinLaVidaLisa



Series: Stories of Thedas (DA writing prompts) [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alistair mention, F/M, Mabari Puppies, New Beginnings, Other, Stories of Thedas, mabari pov, no beta we die like men, small Morrigan mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28097169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LivinLaVidaLisa/pseuds/LivinLaVidaLisa
Summary: 1. New BeginningsThe mabari pup finds their person and follows them wherever they go
Relationships: Warden & Warden's Mabari (Dragon Age)
Series: Stories of Thedas (DA writing prompts) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2058417
Kudos: 8





	New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy!

In the coastal Teyrnir of Higever sat Cousland Castle and within in that large castle was the littlest mabari pup. This pup was the runt of his litter, all the big people seemed to call him that. His mother says it meant that he is small, his siblings and fellow pups tell him it means he is weak. "My littlest pup," his mother will soothe him licking his face, "you may be small compared to your siblings, and you may be small when you are grown but you will be strong." 

_Easy for her to say,_ the young pup thinks, _Mummy is_ _already strong and big!_ And this is true. His mother is a great mabari war hound Calenhad, named after a heroic Ferelden King. Or that's what the hairless mabari say. Calenhad, Callie for short, and true to her namesake she had never been cut by any blade and no arrow had pierced her hide. The older mabari often tell of her prowess on battle, her quick wit and fierce strategy had kept her and her person alive and well for many years. The littlest pup was proud to have a powerful warrior as a mother and wanted to be like her. "But how, Mummy? How could I ever be as strong as you?" The young pup whined into his mothers fur.

"First you must eat," Callie nudged him with her nose to her belly, "and then you must listen to your person. You will become strong for them in time." Her belly is soft and warm and the pups all come to her side and drink like they're a starved pack of wolves. "Easy now, there's enough for everyone. Stop pushing your littlest brother out of the way!" Callie scoots one of her larger pups over so her littlest pup may come back in. 

"Mummy?" The littlest one asks, "Who is our person? Is it the big bald one over there?" Callie's sharp gaze crosses the room to the man in question and softens as she watched the man work. The man was cleaning out some hay from one of the other mabari dens. Usually the man had a gruff and sour attitude towards most things. He was in charge of caring for and the training of the mabari, his training exorcises looked ruthless to the young pups. Morning day and night they'd watch the other mabari sprint, claw, and bite at the mans orders and neither he nor they let up on their relentless exertions. He was the one who raised Calenhad to be the mighty war hound she was. The pup though he was mean and scary, but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone.

"His name is Gale, and he is my person. One day you will meet a person and you will just know that they are yours and you are theirs." The young pup nuzzled into the fur on Callie's neck.

"But Mummy-!" Suddenly the young pup was scooped up from behind and was being held by Gale, the kennel master. 

"Come now Callie, you're not spoiling the little runt are you?" Gale ask her accusingly, Calenhad replies with an affirmative bark and looks to Gale happily. The pup squirms in Gale's hands as he chuckles at Callie's response. The pup manages to turn his little head enough to bite Gale's large thumb forcing a yelp from the man. "Ah well at least he's got your warriors spirit Callie. That'll carry 'em far." Gale then turns the pup around and sets him down at Callie's belly. "Still needs to eat though." Callie catches his hand with her tongue and softly licks Gale's hand. "All right good girl, you need to get them all good and fed. We've got important company coming and hopefully some of these pups will find their partner. We need to show them what the best mabari in Thedas look like so no more slacken off for you." Callie barks again and looks to Gale with pride. 

Gale nodded to Callie then stood as he bushed off the straw from his knees and walked out of the kennel without another word. "That's your person, Mummy?" The little pup whined again, "but he's so mean!" 

"Ha! You're scared of him aren't you, runt?" The other pups laughed at their smallest sibling. The pup huffed at them all in response. 

"So are you! Go on run out the door and follow him out if you're so brave!" The little pup dared them all but they all paused and looked properly daunted by the simple request. 

"None of you are leaving this spot!" Calenhad growled. "You'll sit her and eat just as he asked." All the pup eagerly agreed with their mother and began their feasting once more except for one. "Come littlest pup, you need to eat as well." 

The pup looked to his mother and out the door where Gale had left, "I still don't understand..."

Callie sighed and beckoned him to come closer with a tilt of her head. The pup curled into his mothers side and nuzzled her fur. "Gale loves us all very much, you know." At the the pup looks at her incredulously. "He does, my littlest pup. It is Gale who feeds us, isn't it? Gale who trains us all to be strong warriors for our people. And it is Gale who cleans and cares for us all. Gale was also there when you all were born. He stayed by my side and made sure I was well and that you were all born safely. Never once did he leave me to bare you all alone." Callie leaned down and licked her littlest pup. "There is no need to be afraid of him." All the pups now whined at her in protest and Callie just chuckled. 

"How did you know he was your person?" The littlest pup asked.

"I just knew." Callie rested her head on her front paws and sighed, "I wasn't much older than you all at the time. He was there when I was born as well. I was very sick and weak as a young pup. Many of the other people didn't think I would live to adulthood let alone to be the war hound I was born to be. But Gale never gave up one me. He stayed up with me and hand fed me when my own mother could not. I would've died without him. I wanted to take care of him as he did for me." Callie once again nudged her pup to her belly, "when you meet the right person you'll want to protect them and you know they will do anything to protect you. You'll just know, my littlest pup."

As it would turn out the littlest pups person would end up being a very rowdy little girl with skinned knees and blonde pigtails. She and her brother both ran into the mabari kennel's and excitedly pointed to all of the puppies. "I want the biggest strongest hound you have Ser Gale!" Her older brother loudly explained. 

"Now Fergus," an older man said as he walked in, "You know very well that the mabari chooses their partners, not the other way around." the older man chuckled. 

"Yes, but no matter which dog that imprints on you, it'll be your partner for life and will defend you to the death." Gale walked in and brought them in front of the little pups kennel. He got excited as the little girls eyes scanned across him, _look at me! Look at me!_ He wriggled and yipped with his brothers and sisters until he was shoved to the side and bounced right out the the crowd. "Now this is my prized litter of mabari war hounds. Bread from the two mightiest mabari in Ferelden, Teyrn Bryce's Malox and my own Calenhad." Callie barked a hearty greeting and Gale's chest puffed up in pride as the four new comers gazed at the mabari puppies with awe. 

"How can you tell if they've imprinted on you?" 

Gale chuckled, "you'll know."

This answer didn't seem to satisfy her but she turned her attention back to the puppies anyway. At this point the little pup had gotten back into the fray jumping for the little girls attention, but it was the boy who noticed him first. "look at the little one, that can't be a puppy from Malox!"

"Of course he is! Look at his brindle coat!" The little girl shouted, finally looking at the little pup, "just like Malox!" The little pup yipped as loud as he could so he could keep her attention. 

"Elissa, I think he likes you." The older man said to her. Elissa's eyes widened and sparkled at the littlest pup. Gale let out a sharp whistle, a sign for all the mabari to stand still at attention, they all did except for the excited little pup still jumping and yipping for the little girls attention.

"He's a fiery runt that's for sure, take's the longest to follow instructions but that more his stubbornness than anything." Gale smiled ruefully. 

Bryce chuckled, "sounds just like Malox."

Gale scooped the bouncing pup and held him up to Elissa. "Careful now, he may be a runt but he's still a war hound. Little thing bit me just this morning." When Elissa got the pup into her hands he didn't bite her, the little pup squirmed up her chest and licked her face. Elissa giggled and held him close. Fergus scooted closer to get a better look at the puppy but as soon as he inched his hand closer to pet him the pup gave him a sharp bark and Fergus snatched his hand away. 

"You really do like me don't you?" Elissa cooed at the pup who licked her again in response. "What's his name?" She asked Gale who informed her that he doesn't name the pups, just the ones that stay with him. 

"He looks like he want you to name him, pup." Bryce said with both the puppy and Elissa looking directly at him. Bryce chuckled and patted the puppy's head, "sorry about that little one, I call Elissa my pup too. Just another thing you both have in common I suppose." Bryce turned his gaze back to Elissa who was smiling brightly at the man. "So what's his name, pup?"

Elissa hold the littlest pup up to her eyes and gave him a good look over and a sly smirk spread across her face, "Barkspawn!" Fergus's face soured at the name but Elissa just giggled. "For now on your name is Barkspawn, and you'll be my trusted companion and I'll be yours obviously!" Elissa spoke to Barkspawn the whole time they were in the kennels as Fergus tried to find his own furry partner. She wanted to take Barkspawn with her but Bryce and Gale told her that the little pup still needed to be with his mother. Gale said as soon as he was weaned she can take him with her and promised that she could come by the kennels anytime to see little Barkspawn until then.

Both Fergus and Elissa visited the kennels to see their dogs often, but Elissa was there everyday and for every free moment she could spare. She would read to him and compliment him and promised him lots of adventure as soon as he grown enough. One they day she was finally able to take Barkspawn out Elissa showed him off to everyone she could. She'd introduce him and Barkspawn would bark proudly! He was her dog, and she was his person! 

Some of them didn't approve of his name, Barkspawn. A noble hound should have a noble name, they would say. Elissa's mother, Eleanor, being the most vocal about her displeasure with the name. Elissa rolled her eyes at them and plainly stated that he's already learned his name, to change it now would be cruel. When her mother persisted Elissa just stuck her tongue out at her and called Barkspawn to follow her. They sprinted down the halls and hid away in quite corridors until they were both sure they had lost Eleanor. Elissa lead against the wall and tried to catch her breath. Barkspawn was just fine, not a hair out of place or a huff of breath to note any tiredness. Sliding down the wall and sitting cross-legged Elissa called Barkspawn closer and he eagerly followed her instruction. Her warn little hands cupped Barkspawn's head and she smiled at him as he lolled his tongue out to lick her. "You know why I named you Barkspawn?" Elissa asked him. Barkspawn just looked up at her with his big brown eyes, waiting for her answer. "It's a play on words. You're a dog so you bark." Barkspawn confirmed this with a low bark that made Elissa giggle. "Exactly! There are also these creatures called darkspawn. They're terrible, ugly monsters who live under ground and kill people! They're evil!" Barkspawn tilts his head to the side and whines. "No, you're not evil! But you're gonna be stronger than any of those horrid creatures!" Elissa pats Barkspawn's head and looks around conspiritorly, "Theres a group of knights that kill darkspawn and save people from the blights. They're called Grey Wardens, and one day I'm going to be a Warden!" Barkspawn nudges his head against her hands and whines loudly, "I wouldn't leave you alone, silly. You're coming with me. We'll be the greatest Grey Wardens Thedas has ever seen! Wouldn't you like that?" Barkspawn wagged his tail happily and barked, "good boy!" Elissa laughed. "This is our beginning, Barkspawn! We have to train really hard everyday to hone our skills and get strong. They don't just let anyone be Grey Warden's you know, so we'll have to work hard if we want to get into the order."

Truth be told Barkspawn didn't mind where they went or what they did, he was happy enough to be at Elissa's side. He liked training with her, hunting with her, and especially snuggling up with her in bed. She was his person, and he'd follow her where ever she went and where ever she needed him. Barkspawn would stay at her side. 

Years later their home was invaded and attack, betrayed by Bryce's closest friend Rendon Howe. Barkspawn fought at Elissa's side making their way through the castle to their escape. He protected her from Howe's soldiers, and later on that same night he protected her from loneliness. They had both lost everyone they had ever known and loved that night. Elissa cried and clawed into his fur and swore her revenge on Howe, "It's just you and me now, Barkspawn. We have to stick together." Elissa silently sobbed into his furry neck hiding her tears from the Grey Warden, Duncan. "This is our new beginning as Wardens, okay boy? We have to be strong. We have to..." Elissa's ramblings eventually trailed off as exhaustion set in and sleep took her to the fade. 

They both didn't know that shortly after losing everything they would soon face another betrayal and lose all the other Grey Wardens. Barkspawn frantically searched the battle grounds at Ostagar searching for Elissa, but all he found was darkspawn. Barkspawn tore his way through several spawn but soon gained too much attention. Barkspawn was still small for a mabari but he wasn't foolish. He dashed away from a growing group of darkspawn and caught the scent of something familiar. Elissa! He knew if he found his person she'd help him and he'd help her! He ran far and eventually found her walking down the road, her hardened face softened at the sigh of him and he gleefully barked as he lead a small horde of darkspawn towards her and two other people following her.

After all the darkspawn were routed Elissa greeted Barkspawn as she always did. Elissa scratched behind his ears and called him a good boy as tears streaked down her cheeks. Barkspawn licked away every tear until she pulled him into a hug and nuzzled her face into his fur. "We're starting again. Another new beginning, Barkspawn. Thank the Maker you're here. I wasn't sure I could've done it with out you." Elissa bitterly laughed and hugged Barkspawn tighter. 

But this time it wasn't just him and her. There was also that other Grey Warden who smelled like cheese, and a woman Barkspawn had never seen before. For once, Barkspawn was glad to share Elissa with someone else. Both of these people seemed to make Elissa less sad in their own ways. Especially cheese man. Barkspawn wasn't very impressed with cheese man but he did make Elissa smile and even managed to make her laugh before the battle at Ostagar. Barkspawn sighed at having to share Elissa too much with him. At least cheese man knew just the right spot to scratch behind his ears.

Barkspawn realized that he and Elissa have had several beginnings now, and he knew he'd happily follow her to many more new beginnings that may come. He was her dog, she was his person and they had each other.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to dedicate this fic to my childhood dog who passed away this last Thanksgiving.  
> He was also the runt of his litter but he had a big personality! And I miss him very much.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
